Ball-grinding machine.



E. HANUS.

BALL GRINDING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30. l9lfi. K610 Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Dec. 5,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EWALD HANUS, or TEGEL, NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY.

BALL-GRINDING MACHINE.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed October 30, 1916. Serial No. 128,616.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'EWALD HANUs, engineer, subject of the King ofPrussia, residing at Tegel, near Berlin, Germany, have invented certainnew and useful. Improvements in Ball-Grinding Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to ballgrinding machines, and especiallyto machines of the type shown and described in by prior Patent, No.1,124,018, granted January 5, 1915.

In that type of ball-grinding machine, the stationary central plate isprovided with a charging recess or hopper which has a width equal to thethickness of the plate and has a gable-shaped bottom, the latter servingto deflect the balls to one or the other of the rotatable plates.Experience has shown, however, that such bottom alone fails to effect aneven distribution of the balls, so that they frequently become crowdedat the entrance to the grooves at one side of the hopper, and it is toovercome this defect that I have devised the present improved form ofhopper.

According to the invention, there is provided above the gable-shapedbottom a device which actsas a regulator and distributer for the ballsas they leave the grooves and fall into the hopper, and which alsoserves as a collector for the surplus balls, so that said balls, insteadof falling irregularly to one side of the other, are strewn evenly overthe ridge or cope of the bottom.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, whereof:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts in section and broken away;Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2, Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4t aredetails of slight modifications; and Figs. 5 and 6 are details, on agreatly-enlarged scale, of the hopper represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In the construction illustrated, as in the patented construction, thegrooved, stationary, central plate a is fitted between the grooved facesof the two rotatable outer plates f and g, and is mounted above thesemi-cylindrical casing s. The front portion 8 of this casing partlycloses the charging recess or hopper (1 formed in the central plate a,as shown; but the gable-shaped deflecting bottom of said hopper, insteadof constituting an integral part thereof, consists of a metal plate a,bent into inverted V- or gable-shape and supported at opposite ends ofits ridge or cope upon front and rear pins 11, secured respectively, tothe easing member s and to the hub portion a of plate a.

The distributer is located in the hopper or recess above the deflectoru, and, in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, comprises a pair of metalplates 0 and 0 disposed at substantially the same angle to each other asthe wings of the said deflector. These plates are supported at theiropposite ends upon upper and lower pairs of pins 1? and t the pins atthe front ends of the plates likewise being fixed to the casing member'3 and those at the rear ends of-the plates to the hub (1 The bent outeredges of the plates are hooked over the upper pins t, as shown, andtheir lower or inner edges are spaced apart to provide a dischargepassage that is dis osed directly over the ridge line of the de ector,so that as the balls fall out of the grooves in the rotatable plates 7'and .9, on reaching the hopper, they will collect in the distributer andbe discharged through said passage evenly upon both wings of thedeflector, as represented in Fig. 5. The outer side edges of thedistributer, plates may be so arranged as to strip from the grooves inthe rotatable plates any balls which happen to stick therein from anycause; or, if preferred, separate strippers 10 may be provided, saidstrippers having their front or outer ends supported in a notch 10 inthe casing member .9 and their inner or rear ends supported on a pin orpins 10 fixed to the hub a In addition to the plates 0 and 0 thedistributer may comprise a rotary agitator, shown in Fig. 3, and indotted lines in Fig. 5, which embodies a horizontal shaft y thatprojects into the space between said plates and is provided with radialblades y, said shaft being driven from any suitable source of power. Theagitator acts to keep the balls in motion, as'will be apparent, therebyfacilitating their passage through the discharge opening and preventingthem from becoming packed therein.

In the form depicted in Fig. 4:, there is shown a collecting anddistributing device embodying a pair of agitators, said agitatorscomprising a pair of horizontal shafts m and 02 each provided withradial blades 00, made of leather or other suitable material.

The agitators are driven toward each other, and are disposed above theWings of the bottom plate a, so that as the balls fall out of thegrooves,-or are removed therefrom by theaction of the strippers, theywill drop intothe spaces or pockets between the blades, and, beforereaching the bottom of the hopper, will be Whirled around, mixed, anddischarged toward opposite sides of the deflectorl' In this form, asillustrated, the inclined plates are omitted to render the showing ofthe two agitators clearer; but it is to be understood, that they may belocated above said agitators to guide and deliver the balls thereto.

I claim as my invention 1. In a ball-grinding machine, the combinationof a pair of rotatable grinding plates arranged in spaced, parallelrelation to'each other; a stationary grinding plate arranged in thespace between the rotatable grinding plates and provided with a chargingrecess which has a width equal to the thickness of that plate and whichhas a gable-shaped bottom; and a funnel-shaped distributer locatedwithin said charging recess above said-bottom, and having alo1igitudinal discharge opening which directly overlies the ridge lineof said bottom.

2. In a ball-grinding machine, the com bination of a pair of rotatablegrinding plates arranged in spaced, parallel relation to each other; astationary grinding plate arranged in the space between vthe rotatablegrinding plates and provided with a charging recess which has a widthequal to the thickness of that plate and which has a gable-shapedbottom; and means located. within said charging recess to receive theballs from said rotatable grinding plates and to mix them up anddistribute them evenly upon opposite sides of said bottom.

3. In a ball-grinding machine, the com bination of a pair of rotatablegrinding plates arranged in spaced, parallel relation to each-other; astationary grinding plate arranged in the space between the rotatablegrinding plates and provided with a charging recess which has a widthequal to the thickness of that plate and which has a 'gable-sha )edbottom; a funnel-shaped distributer located within said charging recessabove said bottom, and having a longitudinal discharge openingwhiclrdirectly overlies the ridge line of said bottom; and a rotaryagitator disposed within said distributer directly above and parallelwith said discharge opening. 4. In a ball-grinding machine, thecombination of a pair of rotatable grinding copies of this patent may beobtained for plates arranged in spaced, parallel relation 'to eachother; a stationary grinding plate arranged in the space between therotatable grinding plates and provided with a charging recess which hasa width equal to the thickness of that plate and which has agable-shaped bottom; and a pair of plates disposed Within said chargingrecess above said bottom and inclined toward each other, said plateshaving their lower longitudinal edges spaced apart to form alongitudinal discharge opening which directly overlies the ridge line ofsaid bottom.

In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of a pair of rotatablegrinding plates arranged in spaced, parallel relation to each other; astationary grinding plate arranged in the space between the rotatablegrinding plates and provided with a charging recess which has a widthequal to the thickness of that plate and which has agable-shaped.bottom; a semi-cylindrical casing surrounding the lowerportion of the stationary grinding plate; upper and lower pairs of pinssecured to the inner face of the front portion of said casing and to thehub of said stationary grinding plate; and a pair of plates disposedwithin said charging recess above said bottom and having their outerlongitudinal edges hooked over the upper pins and their lower edgesresti-ng upon the lower pins in spaced relation to form a dischargeopening which directly overlies the ridge line of said bottom; saidpin-supported plates being inclined toward each other to direct theballs deposited thereon from said rotatable grinding plates toward saiddischarge opening.

6. In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of a pair of rotatablegrinding plates arranged in spaced, parallel relation to each other andhaving their inner faces formed with annular grooves; a stationarygrinding plate arranged in the space between the rotatable grindingplates and provided with a charging recess which has a width equal tothe thickness of that plate and which has a gable-shaped bottom; asemi-cylindrical casing surrounding the lower portion of the stationarygrinding plate and extending across the lower portion of said chargingrecess; and a pair of scrapers extending through said charging recess inposition to engage the balls in said grooves and remove them therefrom,said scrapers having their trout ends supported upon said casing andtheir rear ends upon the hub of said stationary grinding plate.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

EWAL'D 'HANUS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington,D. 0.

